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Coronavirus: News on the impact on the clubs

With the spread of the coronavirus in Europe, uncertainty is also spreading in the club scene. The ban on major events, which has been discussed or already implemented in some European countries, makes club operators fear for their income. Parallel to this, more and more festivals and party series are being cancelled.

The COVID-19 virus is spreading in Europe. In Italy, where the number of infected people has risen to over 9000 (as of 10.03.2020), the government has extended the “red zone” to the whole country and imposed travel restrictions and assembly bans. In Germany, too, the government is advocating that major events should not be allowed to take place. Health Minister Jens Spahn recommends cancelling events with more than 1000 participants. Several German states now have such a ban, for example in NRW and Bavaria. Meanwhile, France tightened its ban on events from 5000 to 1000 participants; in Austria, a maximum of 100 people may participate in an event in closed rooms.

The club scene is increasingly feeling the effects of these measures. After the cancellation of several renowned festivals, such as the winter edition of the Tomorrowland festival, some clubs announced that they would cancel upcoming party dates. This concerns, for example, the party series “Gegen” at Berlin’s KitKat. After it became known that 16 of the infected Berliners got infected at Club Trumpet, further cancellations of club dates in the capital are likely. However, the operators fear a massive loss of income. In those federal states in which no general event bans are yet in place, it is up to them to assess the risk, and many clubs are trying to take preventive measures by providing information on general hygiene regulations for employees and partygoers.

DJs and DJanes are also feeling the effects of increasing travel restrictions. For example, the DJ duo andhim had to cancel a gig in Tel Aviv, Israel, due to stricter entry regulations. The Italian DJane Caterina Barbieri cancelled her upcoming US tour as well as gigs in Northern Italy.